Meeting report: Initial World Health Organization consultation on herpes simplex virus (HSV) vaccine preferred product characteristics, March 2017

Abstract

The development of vaccines against herpes simplex virus (HSV) is an important global goal for sexual and reproductive health. A key priority to advance development of HSV vaccines is the definition of preferred product characteristics (PPCs), which provide strategic guidance on World Health Organization (WHO) preferences for new vaccines, specifically from a low- and middle-income country (LMIC) perspective. To start the PPC process for HSV vaccines, the WHO convened a global stakeholder consultation in March 2017, to define the priority public health needs that should be addressed by HSV vaccines and discuss the key considerations for HSV vaccine PPCs, particularly for LMICs. Meeting participants outlined an initial set of overarching public health goals for HSV vaccines in LMICs, which are: to reduce the acquisition of HIV associated with HSV-2 infection in high HIV-prevalence populations and to reduce the burden of HSV-associated disease, including mortality and morbidity due to neonatal herpes and impacts on sexual and reproductive health. Participants also considered the role of prophylactic versus therapeutic vaccines, whether both HSV-2 and HSV-1 should be targeted, important target populations, and infection and disease endpoints for clinical trials. This article summarizes the main discussions from the consultation.

Laser Adjuvant-Assisted Peptide Vaccine Promotes Skin Mobilization of Dendritic Cells and Enhances Protective CD8+TEMand TRMCell Responses against Herpesvirus Infection and Disease

“…Despite the availability of many interventional strategies, such as sexual behavior education, barrier methods, and the costly guanine nucleoside antiviral drug therapies (e.g., acyclovir and derivatives), controlling the spread of genital herpes remains a challenge (1,22,(51)(52)(53)(54)(55). The current medical opinion is that an effective clinical vaccine would constitute the best approach to protect the human populations from genital herpes (54,56,57).…”

“…Another cellular mechanism behind the strong immunogenicity of laser-assisted peptide vaccine delivered intradermally appears to be associated with mobilization and maturation of skin-resident DCs. Dendritic cells are professional Ag-capturing and -presenting cells with the unique ability of priming naive T cells (1,3). During recent years, it has become increasingly clear that manipulation of the immune system for vaccination purposes against intracellular viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens, as well as cancers, requires immunogenic formulations allowing targeting, Ag uptake, and maturation of dendritic cells at their site of uptake to cause immune induction (1,(3)(4)(5).…”

“…Dendritic cells are professional Ag-capturing and -presenting cells with the unique ability of priming naive T cells (1,3). During recent years, it has become increasingly clear that manipulation of the immune system for vaccination purposes against intracellular viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens, as well as cancers, requires immunogenic formulations allowing targeting, Ag uptake, and maturation of dendritic cells at their site of uptake to cause immune induction (1,(3)(4)(5). Immature DCs reside in the periphery, where they serve as sentinels, and their interaction with foreign Ags and microbial molecules induces the so-called DC maturation program, which results in the expression of surface MHC and costimulatory molecules, production of proinflammatory cytokines, and migration to secondary lymphoid tissues, where potent interactions with T cells initiate cell-mediated immunity (6).…”

“…S afe, easy-to-handle, chemical-and biological-free immunoadjuvants are urgently needed for quick implementations of mass human vaccination protocols to protect from the emerging and established viral infectious diseases that affect large human populations (1)(2)(3)(4). During the last decade, several chemical and biological adjuvants have been identified, providing renewed optimism that rapid and effective control of widespread infectious pathogens through vaccination might be feasible (2).…”

Assessment of Oral Shedding of Herpes Simplex Virus Before and After Endodontic and Fixed Partial Prosthodontics Treatment in Patients with Recurrent Herpes Simplex

“…It is estimated that the global prevalence of HSV-1 infection in all age group is 67% (3.7 billion people), in eastern meditation countries, this prevalence is 75% (4). Most cases of HSV-1 infection are acquired during childhood as an oral infection (5).…”